Shuttlecock Paperback – 11 July 2019

The protagonist of Graham Swift’s ‘Shuttlecock’ is a middle-aged man named Prentis who is employed in the archives department of the police. He is diligent with his work on the secret cases to which he is assigned, but suffers from what he feels is the overly intense scrutiny of his boss, Quinn, whose behaviour he finds both intimidating and confusing. Life at home is not all that he would like it to be either: his relationship with his (long-suffering) wife, on whom he takes out his frustration with his work, leaves something to be desired and he is at a loss about how to deal with his two sons - whose behaviour he cannot understand. And then there is his relationship with his father, who is in a residential home suffering with dementia, and whose autobiography of his experiences during WWII is a book which Prentis reads and re-reads and which leaves him with feelings of both admiration and confusion. Did his father really undergo the terrible experiences he described or is he hiding something? And what about Quinn, his boss, and the strange questions he is beginning to ask Prentis? Is Quinn trying to entrap him or help him? And then Prentis feels he is being spied upon - one of the spies being one of his own sons. Is Prentis suffering from acute paranoia or is there something else going on that neither he nor the reader can quite work out?Although I have to admit that initially I didn’t warm to Prentis (especially when I read of him having deliberately killed his hamster as a child and of him being physically violent towards his wife) I found myself becoming interested in what had happened to him in his past and what had led him to being the man he had become; I was also very interested in Prentis’s boss, Quinn, whose attitude towards Prentis I initially found as confusing as Prentis did himself. Admittedly there were parts to this novel that I found uncomfortable to read - especially some of Prentis's behaviour towards his wife and sons (which made this a four star rather than a five star read for me) - but I was drawn into this psychological thriller from the very first pages and was involved in the the story from the beginning to the end.4 Stars.

Swift at his best, highly recommended.

Somewhat meandering, and not as concise as his best books. Oddly, the present day domestic drama works a lot better than the historical spy/war stuff.

Very enjoyable, readable and skilfully written. In this book I particularly like the way Swift makes the main character and narrator an unpleasant and unlikeable person whose increasing alienation from his family is revealed to the reader while still seemingly hidden from the narrator himself. I also liked the slow measured pace of the story which at times reminded me of Michael Frayn's sublime "A Landing on the Sun".Recommended.

brilliant book by brilliant author

Not as good as Waterlands or Last Orders. Bored at 1st but it got quite gripping after 1/2 way & at end couldn't put it down, but, on reflection, Happy Ending not quite convincing. Have known people who treated their family that badly & it would have taken more than a daytrip to mend things. Interesting story though esp the parts about spying in France.

A somewhat interesting story, but would have been better as a shorter novella, I think. Parts of it dragged, for me, and for what it had to say, finally, it shouldn’t have taken 220 pages to do it. Someone else didn’t like the ending - the very last pages. I agree with that. Interesting about the father and son and what the son learned, later, in the book.

I wasn't surprised to discover that this was one of Graham Swift's first books. It is very well structured and written and makes for a gripping and at times very funny read, but it can't quite deliver all that it promises. The resolution doesn't ring true, and everything is tied up a bit too neatly in the final chapter. But it is still an accomplished, richly detailed book.

Enjoyed

As always, the book was delivered on time, although I am not that excited about the free delivery on purchases above 499. About the book :- The characters in the book are well crafted and I wish the author had explored them in more details. I would not have minded if this book had ran in 100 more pages. A wonderful read nonetheless!!

Es una historia familiar bastante dura llena de reproches y de repetición de las malas actitudes. No me ha gustado por la forma de presentar la historia aunque reconozco que los personajes están muy bien definidos y la historia bien escrita.

This is a beginning entry of one of one of the great British modern writers. Everything he has written has been a joy to read. His writing is transporting. He ranks among the best in all the world. Anything he writes is something one should not miss.